Alphabet Romance
by AlternativeRocker
Summary: A twenty-six prompt series; each chapter a separate fic of under 1000 words. Robbie and Jackie fluff throughout.
1. Addiction

**Authors Note: **So this is another series of one shots based on a prompt list that Helen gave me with one word for each letter of the alphabet. I decided to make the chapters under 1000 words each just to make it quicker. All will be Robbie/Jackie as always.

**Disclaimer: **Nope, nothing. I wish I owned a copy of Helen's fic deemed inappropriate and removed!

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**Addiction**

* * *

She had spent every moment of her working life - and the majority of her professional life - for the past ten years watching Robbie go through his different addiction problems. There had been phases of drinking, gambling and buying obscenely expensive cars but only one had lasted throughout and that was women.

As he had aged the type of his conquests varied more dramatically with no semblance between any two girls in the same week. They also assumed he was looking for a serious relationship because of his kind words and lack of a wedding ring, which was making him a very unpopular figure in their eyes when he never called any of them back or asked Jackie to pose as his other half. She told him constantly how deplorable his life was but he just laughed it off, saying they could feign ignorance to his charm if they wanted just like she did on a daily basis. She didn't feign ignorance though, he just took no notice when she tried harder to catch his attention.

Currently his addiction was to cigarettes but the women seemed to have disappeared on recent evenings - he was offering all the time to take the team out for a meal or drink and she enjoyed being around both her best friends again without the awkward conversations with girls young enough to be their own child, and it felt so natural to have the time available to mock instead or admonish his choices. Stuart simply told him he should try it with guys because there was surely more options if he liked both genders.

"Stuart, you have to remember our darling Robbie wants a lay who is under thirty, no self-respecting man of that age would be seen dead near him." Robbie glared at her for a second before asking her when she had last had some company for an evening to which she replied,

"I prefer having sex with somebody I care about rather than acting like a junkie for a pair of breasts."

There was silence for some time afterwards until Stuart found a new topic to argue and get drunk over.

By the time they left to go home the three o them were not completely wasted, if anything they had had nowhere near their usual volume of alcohol. Robbie and Jackie wee still barely talking after the incident at the bar so the younger male walked in between them and tried to calm the atmosphere but he could do nothing when his house was the first stop on the journey around the city. He was a little terrified of leaving in case he woke up to the new that one had killed the other, but if he was being honest he felt the same every single time a situation like this presented itself. When the other two reached Jackie's house she was going to say goodbye and deal with the fallout in the morning but as she turned away he pulled her back.

"God, you infuriate me so much Jackie but I wish you could see the truth. I am not addicted to sleeping with women like that; I do it so that I can attempt to forget about you since you are somehow the one that I want to be with."

The staring match ensued again but this time it ended differently. This one was concluded with a little subtle smirking and a kiss as they couldn't deny what his words meant to him.


	2. Banana

**Authors Note: **I should have had this up sooner since it was written on the same night as the last but I forgot. Prompt is not a huge part of the story but it gave me the inspiration.

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**Banana**

* * *

It was Robbie's turn to pick Jackie up for their Saturday shift at the station as she had given him a lift the previous four times when he had made excuses to see her in all her early morning splendour. He didn't understand why she had wanted him round since she was always mad hen he inevitably turned up late outside her lovely town-house.

On this one morning however his alarm clock had not been changed when the time zone moved forward an hour so he woke up an hour earlier than he could have. It did not occur to him that he was early until the radio DJ alerted him to the change but by that point he was over halfway there and he knew she would be awake already.

Her expression was priceless when she opened her front door with her hair only half-dry, and she had to look at the time on her television to make sure it wasn't her in the wrong for the first time. Her shock turned to utter glee when he told her what had happened and she patted him on the back as he walked through her hall. She left him in the kitchen as she went to make herself look more presentable but within a few minutes she heard the crashing of something and she had to shout down to make sure he - never mind her new floor tiles - was okay. Robbie appeared at the bottom of the stairs looking a little sheepish,

"I was trying to find something to eat but misjudged how accurately you stack the boxes of microwave meals and they fell. It's okay though, I picked them up and went for the easy option of a banana instead. How are you getting on?"

"I would have probably finished by now if I didn't have to babysit such a child. And why do I never get offered any food at your place yet you think it's totally acceptable to help yourself to mine?"

When she heard him reply it sounded a lot closer than she expected. "The edible objects here are in date whereas I would hate to poison you in my flat. Is it just me finding this really peculiar; talking with a door separating us? Can I come in, I've pretty much seen you undressed before?"

Jackie rolled her eyes to the empty room, "I have no idea what images go through your head in any shape or form but you have never seen me undressed! The door is open."

"There's a first time for everything and you really would love my brain if you could read it." Unfortunately for him she was dressed and only sorting her hair so he ended up watching her and forgot all about the fruit he had taken and peeled.

"How did you manage to get such an amazing home? By the way your bedroom is much less exciting than I hoped it would be."

"I haven't had the time to paint this one yet. You could do it for me but you would have to promise not to hunt through my personal stuff." He pouted at her as she stood up and approached him.

"You take all the fun out of being in this room. One day I will change that all and we can have make it know what fun is," he commented in his usual flirtatious manner. Jackie raised an eyebrow before stealing a piece of his breakfast and kissed his cheek.

He laughed out loud and continued to eat the banana as she shouted to him, "Maybe if you keep your clock at the wrong time you will stay this early and maybe just one of these times I will accidentally sleep in. I give you permission to dream all about that since that is all it will be. A huge, make-believe dream."


	3. Candles

**Authors Note: **Why do I always end up writing fics at a time after midnight?

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**Candles**

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The police station was in complete darkness thanks to a power cut which had wiped out the surrounding area. Only Robbie and Jackie were on the offices of their floor since the others were all out on he streets questioning and arresting. It was almost nine in the evening on a day in November so there wasn't even any light from the windows that were on every wall of the building.

They could see the outlines of tables and each other but had chosen not to attempt dodging all the things they had dumped on the floor, so stayed in their chairs while talking and vaguely blaming the person opposite for the lack of power even though they knew it was city-wide. Their mobiles were used to ensure they were not going to spill cups of coffee and tea that were forever littering both desks and to irritate by aiming the bright rectangles at the eyes of their friend. After some time Robbie heard her rummaging around in the drawer at her right hand side.

"Robbie, go and throw me your lighter... Actually I don't want it smashing against my face; pass it here."

She reached across as he handed it to her, very confused at why she wanted it since she never smoked, and both felt the heat of the others' fingers as they gently brushed together. It was a brilliant thing that they could not see colour at the precise moment because their cheeks were scarlet red from all the feelings that were yet to be said between them.

A few deep breaths later she put the lighter to work by placing the flame to four candles she had just remembered storing in case of an emergency like this. Robbie expected them to be cheap ones from IKEA or a pound-store but when she put a couple in front of him he realised they must have been from her own personal stock because they were scented with cinnamon and apple - which made it smell like Christmas was already upon them instead of six weeks away. He immediately thought of buying her some replacement candles as a little part of her present - he still had to think up what to her as a main gift as she always said she didn't need anything from him.

Jackie broke him out of his silent planning session, "Isn't everything so much more romantic and calm when it's only done in candlelight?"

"Oh, now I like the idea of tonight being romantic when there is just us wo involved. Pease exapand."

"Does chocolate constitute as romantic because I think that is all we have here?"

They smirked as he continued their playful banter, "Sounds perfect darling."

This time there was throwing involved and it did hit his arm but he lauhed it off and threw back a packet of crisps from his corner. According to Jackie's watch they only had half an hour until they could go home but they were enjoying the unsubtle flirting that they each had an incline that they would probably be staying on a bit longer in the company of somebody who they knew so completely.


	4. Drunk

**Authors Note: **Hey I'm back. :D I'm just going to annoy Helen by posting another one of this series today!

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**Drunk**

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A small group of friends and family had just watched Stuart and Ewan become civil partners in a summer ceremony, and had quickly moved to the reception which was helpfully held in and supplied with alcohol by the McIntyre group.

Robbie and Jackie has easily found each other in the crowd and drowned themselves next to the bar in wine and champagne which they could barely afford if they had needed to pay.

The staff was beginning to question whether or not to keep serving them as their level of intoxication was getting obvious, not that they were causing any sort of scene but the slurred conversation and excessive touching of hands and knees was over the top, especially when compared to the subtle signs of affection from the newly married couple.

Ewan was called over eventually and he told the bar-staff to give them water instead - he had learnt from previous experience with Robbie and Jackie that when they were this far gone they could be tricked into drinking just about anything without realising.

They were on barstools turned to face each other and Jackie's hand was moving increasingly further up his thigh,

"You know, you actually get more handsome as the night gets later."

Robbie had one hand on her waist as he replied, "Why thank you. You are gorgeous at all times so I can't really say the same back but today you honestly are beautiful."

He leaned over and caught her lips with his own before she could say a sarcastic retort. It hardly lasted twenty seconds but had the effect of sobering them up a tiny amount. They started to look everywhere around the club that was not across from themselves but it was not very long before they began to kiss again.

Over the past number of months they had been getting more open about how much they loved the other person. This was the most they had done in one period of time - it had just been an occasional snog or admission of adoration before - but deep down underneath their drunken haze they knew this was what they need to move their relationship forward.

On the dance floor Stuart told his new husband that if the other pair walked anywhere near to the front door together that he would stop that type of irreversible behaviour occurring but it was okay as they were currently just making out.

They would both have the mother of all hangovers in the morning but unlike Robbie who woke up with one every week, Jackie would probably be immobile and throwing up fro the next twenty-four hours so they were better enjoying their love now before the effects started to show and any regret about not remembering this happened.

"Even though they are more like an annoying brother and sister, god I hope we look that cute if we ever start acting like that after a drink."

"Stuarty my dear, we win on the cute stakes every single time!" He muttered as he pressed their lips together, neither closing their eyes for too long so as to prevent any escape by the other couple.


	5. Evening

**Authors Note: **Most trouble I've had so far with this series.

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**Evening**

* * *

The sun was only just setting so it was not exactly day or night. Robbie had always thought that evening always seemed to work better as a description of this hour.

He and Jackie had finished a double-shift at the station forty minutes ago and were now back at his apartment, they had planned to watch some TV but she had already fallen asleep while he wrapped his arms around her on the sofa.

They barely had any time together since they were now on alternating shift patterns after announcing their relationship. They certainly made up for the separation when they were in bed but Robbie wished there was more moments in which they could simply have a conversation without one being far too tired and dropping off to sleep.

Moonlight was beginning to pour through the floor-to-ceiling windows and he knew he should probably move them into the bedroom to prevent any back-pain in the morning but at this very minute he had no intention of doing so because she looked beautiful. Her skin was more translucent than usual on the cheek he could see and he had the temptation to run a finger over it to make sure she really was there and it was not all just a dream and that she wasn't a ghost that he had imagined for his own pleasure.

She was wearing jeans and an old washed-out top which was far too large for her even though she had owned it for years. The effect of this was that she looked so much smaller and increasingly more fragile than how she acted while she was awake.

He could feel himself begin to drop off but stared at his partner for as long as he possibly could before succumbing to his tired eyes.

Over an hour later Jackie shifted and woke up, quickly pulling herself further up on to the sofa before she fell to the floor. She had enough space so that she could turn over on to her other side and snuggle into Robbie more. Looking up at his face she smiled at how the light from the now-full moon played against the brown of his hair, making it brighter than usual and couldn't resist reaching up with her free arm and running her hand through it. He had hardly changed his clothes after coming in from work so was still in his shirt – unbuttoned almost as far as possible by her before they had realised they were far too tired to have sex – and his trousers but she still found him incredibly adorable.

He looked so serene and she gently pressed her lips against his, making sure not to waken him, then settled and closed her eyelids again, fast asleep within the minute.


	6. Fool

**Authors Note: **Here, take it. This one has taken far too long to think up and I don't care if it's not perfect.

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**Fool**

* * *

The most stupid, idiotic thing she could have done in her life was fall in love with him, and now she had gone and done it.

It was okay for couples like Stuart and Ewan who were both available to date when they got together but Jackie could not remember a time when she could ever say that Robbie was honestly single and available.

Even worse than this was that she knew he felt the same way about her because it meant that she couldn't hide the feelings behind a wall as he continued to pressure her into admitting it. He seemed to take it all in his stride and wanted her to be at the same point as he was. It looked so effortless to him when he asked her out for a meal or a drink and she wished it was that easy to accept his offers.

Her reasons for turning him down every instance was that she knew he would ruin any such relationship as soon as it got more serious than he had first assumed it would be. For as long as she had known him that had been his way with women - he slept with them and said he loved them until they wanted more and then he would run away because he was terrified of commitment. Robbie promised it would be different this time but the same had been sworn down the phone or face-to-face with all his other dates and she simply did not trust a word he said in regards to love.

She felt so stupid when she said no because he looked like he meant the words he spoke but she couldn't put herself through it. To admit that he was correct about her feelings was fine as long as it was only her that knew, to let others in on that secret could be disastrous especially if he found out. He never looked hurt or upset when he turned away, it was always an exasperated sigh because he was tired of how much he was putting into the first steps of 'them' and he didn't think she was doing anything to help either of them.

Jackie hated it being like this between them, she wished it could go back to how it used to be with their casual flirting but it never would and she had no idea what to do next. No matter how many times he said they would be special she had seen it too many times from him to allow herself to fall under his spell more than she already had. It was inevitable that he would continue to hassle her for the foreseeable future but it was his choice to carry it on, not hers and that seemed to be a huge distinction in her brain. It meant that maybe she was stronger than him... or just more foolish.


	7. Great

**Authors Note: **So Helen actually told the truth that my fics for this seem to be quite serious which is odd. I had started this before she said that!

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**Great**

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The greatest part of her day was just before they went to bed. It was not when they had sec or took a romantic holiday together. It was when they were sitting on their sofa watching a TV show or a film. His arm would be draped over her shoulder as she tucked her legs under herself and snuggled into his side. Neither was ever fully awake, yet were too comfortable to move until they did begin to doze off which would lead to the one who was more awake to nudge them to stand up and get to their bedroom.

It was the greatest time because they could never get an argument going between them as they were so settled and that was a welcomed change to their relationship but they still spoke to each other and for once during these brief interludes were completely unguarded with their words and feelings. The experience was also helped by the fact she could hardly imagine being able to be happier than this with anyone else except her partner. They meant the world to the other person and to be allowed to have entire evenings to spend cuddling and doing things totally unrelated to the work they spent the rest of their lives concerned about.

She would rest like that in a pair of jeans or pyjama bottoms and the blouse she had wore to work while he was in jeans and a t-shirt - changing as soon as he got home because he did hate wearing that outfit. They hardly ever changed into fancy clothes for nights in as they knew that when they got to the bedroom - no matter how many times they had yelled at one another that day - that the shirts and trousers would end up scattered everywhere on the floor because they had wasted far too many years to deny themselves that form of contact.

But regardless of the intimacy they shared there she always felt like she was only ever with the real man she loved when they were touching in the slightest of ways. He would simply run his hand up her body and it would send her mind into overdrive more than most of the kisses they snatched during hectic days. She remembered so many minutes of their nights at home instead of when they were having to entertain other people and not getting to share private time with each other.

The greatest part of her day was when she realised she was with the man of her dreams and that he adored her. He didn't always show his feelings during a normal day but there were these certain opportunities for him to be himself, not worrying how anybody else perceived his honesty because he and the woman nestled into his side had nothing to concern themselves about.


	8. Home

**Authors Note: **The great battle of Lee and Helen's Alphabet Challenge is still on and I am still ahead. :P I shouldn't say that because she's quicker than me at writing and updating...

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**Home**

* * *

For months after the completion of the sale they had kept it as it was, only unpacking what was necessary to their day-to-day lives. It had not started to be a home until the Christmas season when they had holidays that only overlapped for four days, so had been left to their own designing devices for the weeks either side.

They had ended up painting until 3am on Christmas Eve/Day because Jackie had had a meltdown after their dinner, saying they would never complete it in the time they had available so he had been the dutiful husband and appeased her wishes, eventually getting her back on side to help him. Looking back on it they realised they should have planned when to do each task as they were constantly having to cover or remove their TV and such like because they had started painting the walls after laying out most of their things.

Every day he was alone in the house he would make it like he wanted, forgetting how much she hated everything he had pointed out in the shops. When she got in he would leave the room and back back with drinks or food to find objects had moved or completely disappeared and she would never offer any sort of reasoning for her decision. He would just roll her eyes and give her a quick kiss before moving it back to where he had chosen, baiting her for a response which she never gave because she enjoyed the battle of wills they had with this and she would move it back as soon as she could. It was finally all complete - down to every last figurine - on Valentine's Day when he came in to find her curled up sleeping on the couch, the new circular teal rug positioned perfectly in the centre of the floor.

He knew she would be annoyed if he woke her up but would be worse if he didn't tell her that she had fallen asleep.

"Jackie? Jackie, love, I'm home if you care at all." She mumbled incomprehensible words as she shifted herself awake on the seat.

"Ugh, is that you just in? I only sat down half an hour ago, I was shattered."

"I can see that," he whispered as he leaned in to kiss her, eventually being pulled down to cover her lying down as the kiss deepened.

As they split apart he leaned back and knelt over her before looking down at her seriously, "We've done good. Finally looks as though we have that place we wanted."

They had agreed when their relationship began to progress that they both wanted a fresh start away from the houses they had inhabited before. They had spent months debating the kind of home they desired which had ended in a number of arguments but had settled on the empty shell that they had now tweaked to their preference. In between house-hunting they had got married in a very low-key ceremony, knowing that money was quite tight for it as their hearts were set on getting their home.

She nodded and gave the room they were in a quick glance - the colours weren't too bold but it was the same colour as the rug which gave it a nice flow which she appreciated. He had actually been the one to pick the colours for the living room and their bedroom or else they would have been cream and pale grey like she wanted, but he had wound her around his little finger and got his wish, not that she had an objection because he had good taste in that department. The nick-knacks he amounted were not lovely though, she hated all of them and she had no idea how she had managed to marry the man without knowing how much tat he owned. Jackie had kept it all, just hidden away out of her sight, not disturbing their beautiful home they had bought together.


	9. Inn

**Authors Note: **Fic, I'm sorry for leaving you so long, I actually do like you!

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**Inn**

* * *

"Such a sweet couple. I love it when we have guests like that."

Alan Moffat turned to his wife Sarah with an incredulous look upon his face, "You are kidding right? I haven't heard them share a kind word since they pulled up in the drive! Yeah, they are nice people but they don't act like they want to be with the other."

Sarah made sure there were no more of their bed-and-breakfast guests on the ground floor before beginning to speculate. "We bicker when we have a holiday, they probably just had a few days of crazy packing and could have done with some downtime and that is why we are here. They aren't exactly like teenagers either so that's an extra few decades of antagonism."

They halted after a few minutes where Mr and Mrs Ross came downstairs into the lounge and sat down in separate chairs. Alan raised an eyebrow to his own wife but she simply shrugged it off, moving towards the sofas with her cold cup of tea. She did not act pushy, everyone just seemed to be willing to talk to her when she walked around a room so that is why she entered the lounge to talk to the new guests.

"Hiya, Jackie, isn't is?"

"Yes. You have a lovely place here. Perfect for romantic getaways I imagine." She carefully accentuated the words romantic getaway while glaring at Robbie.

"Well I'm sorry that I am not the best husband for reasons as tedious as driving too fast or forgetting to turn my phone charger off but you aren't as brilliant as you like to admit."

"Oh, as if that is what I am getting at! We spend four fucking hours on motorways and in traffic jams and you don't even try to have a civil conversation with me just because I asked you to pack a few things up in to the attic before leaving but then you take a hissy fit!" She closed her eyes before looking over to Sarah, "Apologies for my language, some things are just too irritating to keep calm about."

"I'm going to have a look around the village." He threw the newspaper down and sauntered out the front of the brick building. Rubbing a palm across her forehead Jackie apologised for the tension, knowing deep down that it was probably her fault just as much as it was Robbie's but this kind of argument was exactly how they had always been.

* * *

Robbie entered the guest house and decided to postpone going up to the bedroom and facing Jackie so instead went to the lounge area, hoping to sit in peace or at the very most get talking to a stranger about something that was not the woman he was still unbelievably in love with. Against his hopes though she had not changed position since he left but had acquired a novel of some sort - he assumed correctly that the innkeeper's wife had tried to soothe her with it - and had her legs tucked under her body.

He bit his bottom lip and instantly forgot why they had been fighting, so went up behind the chair before pressing his lips to the top of her head and wrapping his arms gently around her shoulders.

"You look perfect, did you know that?"

"I know you are just trying to get back into my good books," she muttered and didn't look up to his face.

"Is it working?"

Slowly his voice was winning her over, as it always had and she kissed his hand. "You're getting there."

"What about after this," he asked before stepping around the seat to face her and kissed her with the lightest lip brushing as was possible. He barely ever acted like that, usually they were too interest in the passionate side of their relationship and getting their mouths all over the other person that they never cared about being gentle - and had the fingerprint bruises all over their hips and spine to prove it.

She ran her fingers through his hair as she continued the type of kiss that he had begun, forgetting partially that they could be interrupted at any time. The book she had been reading was haphazardly placed on the little table next to the seat as she pulled him further over her in the armchair, Robbie taking her by the hand to pull her up past the reception and to their small bedroom.

"See, I told you," Sarah said triumphantly to her own husband, smirking as she kissed him before walking past him to tidy up after Robbie and Jackie who had knocked over the book and table without noticing in their romantic stupor.


	10. Jump

**Authors Note:** I had the idea for this one ages ago and finally got here. :P Finally going to try to get back to Serendipity after about seven months of hiatus which I'm excited for, I would have also maybe got round to reopening What a Certain Guy Does after years but lost the list so have lost all motivation again!

* * *

**Jump**

* * *

Before he had even consulted his wife, Robbie had agreed to do a bungee jump from the Titan Crane for a domestic abuse charity that he had become involved with finally after what he had watched his mother go through and what his job had made him witness to.

When he had arrived home to Jackie that evening she had almost lost her cool with him when he informed her of his choice, as they both knew that he hadn't consulted her because she would hate the idea. Mainly stemming from a childhood phobia of heights the addition of there being nothing but the Clyde below that drop was her worst nightmare and he had guessed she would despise it but he found that he was getting excited a lot more than he thought he would at the prospect of doing it.

She understood exactly why he was taking part in this but she had tried to persuade him that there would have been better ways to raise money for the cause, if only for her own sanity. For the remainder of the evening she barely looked at him across the living room, never mind actually making conversation with him. She couldn't remember being this infuriated at him since they had got married - their engagement period had been filled with silences like this through as they found it difficult to agree on anything for the wedding or he used to leave it all under her control which she hated just as much as their arguments.

A month later, on the day of the bungee he persuaded her to come along and watch after weeks of her refusal to so he felt that was at least some sort of victory. Just before leaving their home he grabbed his scarf from a hook behind the door and swapped it with the one she had put on, hoping the strong scent of his aftershave that had transferred on to it would comfort her a little more, before kissing her softly on the forehead and hugging her.

* * *

Jackie could hardly watch as he stepped on to the platform and got himself prepared mentally for the jump. The breath she had been holding caught in her throat as he left solid ground and dropped toward the grass. She knew her fear was irrational as these organizers were experienced, but that was still her husband plummeting with only one rope to keep him safe.

The scarf of his that had started around her neck was by that time covering the vast majority of her face which made him smile as he caught a glimpse of her as his head brushed the top of the water.

Once he was back on land he came towards her with a huge, satisfied grin on his face and she thought it was great he had enjoyed himself although she glared at him for still heightening all her terror. As he enveloped her in a hug she didn't want to let go in fear of her imagining this and that he hadn't completed the jump.

"You aren't doing that ever again, I hope you understand!"

"Why, were you scared?"

"Of course I was, you stupid prat!"

"Sorry," he muttered in to her hair as he held her tighter, attempting not to burst out laughing at the woman he had married four years prior and who acted tough in front of everyone else until she was alone with him.


	11. King

**Authors Note: **Short chapter for this because Helen gave me this tough prompt.

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**King**

* * *

Every kingdom needs a king, just as every home Jackie owned seemed to need Robbie. Not that they were living together or even dating yet, he simply appeared wherever she was as if he expected to move in. She had only just moved into her new abode and he had chose to visit her and have a look around, wondering what this one would be like.

Jackie opened the front door after he had rung the bell and handed her a bunch of flowers which he had picked up at the Tesco on his way over, "Fair maiden of this castle."

* * *

While they were progressing with a tour past the various rooms a thought hit her about what he had said after he had arrived, "I am only a maiden, not a queen?"

"To be queen you would need to be married and have a king of your own."

"Do you know anyone who is offering?"

"I don't think you would accept my idea on that matter."

As they were now on the upper floor of the house he jokingly attempted to push her backwards into what was going to be her bedroom at this point of the conversation, making it obvious who was his immediate thought of an other half for her. She would not have hesitated at the act if she thought he was being serious but the glint in his eye made her think otherwise.

She smirked at him and casually touched her palm to his chest, running it down the muscle ever so slightly before adding, "I think you spend enough time here or just near me to qualify as having a guy so obviously in my life."

"So I'm the knight in shining armour who I seem to have forgot marrying?"

"Be quiet, you know what I meant!"

"I may, but if anyone else had overheard that then it may be harder to explain." They had came to the end of the corridor and she realised he had trapped her in this corner, intentional or not she was unsure.

"This place is lovely, maybe not quite what I expected after the cold glass extravaganza of the last but nice and cosy." There was hardly a gap between their bodies but didn't make an attempt to sort themselves.

"Do you want to go back down to the kitchen and have a coffee?" She asked, trying to get them out of the situation before she did something she regretted.

"Not really," he whispered as he leaves in closer to her face and touched their lips together very briefly. Neither had intended for this to happen but the new surroundings were making them both feel giddy and open to different experiences which they were already enjoying immensely.


	12. Love

**Authors Note: **This is only double the word count these chapters are supposed to be but it was an 18th present to myself. And yeah the longest parts are of Matt and Karen cause I really love them right now.

* * *

**Love**

* * *

Each member of the team felt most in love with their respective partners for different reasons; in Robbie's case it was when he watched Jackie wandering around their home in her red skinny jeans and loose fitting top, not minding any more when he stared at her.

Robbie was sitting on one of their sofas watching the football while Jackie hunted the downstairs floor for her engagement ring. She knew she had taken it off to tidy earlier but had forgot where she had safely stored it. Not that she had told him what she was looking for as he would probably go crazy if he knew.

Three hours later and she still had not found it and was starting to panic. She decided she had to tell Robbie now - the longer she left it the more frustrated he would be.

She sat on the footstool that was in front of him and took a deep breath before opening her mouth, "I don't know where my engagement ring is. I know I had it this morning but that's all I can recall."

"I know, it was on top of the chopping board."

"What? It is not, that was the first place I checked!"

"Maybe you should look down to my hand." She glanced down, confused as to what he was talking about and there in his palm was the item that had made her day a living nightmare.

"You had it all along?!"

"Yep, I wanted to see how long you would keep it to yourself, and you happen to look amazing when you are terrified."

"Oh as if you were looking at my face when I was on my hands and knees to see under the chairs!"

"Sorry, can I make it up to you?"

He hooked his fingers through the front two belt loops and pulled her towards him until she was straddling him with her legs either side of him. Without looking he got hold of her left hand while they kissed and slipped her white gold and diamond engagement ring next to her wedding band in its rightful spot.

"You really do have some seedy fascination with these jeans don't you?"

"It's not seedy to think my wife has gorgeous legs that fit so well into certain trousers of the red denim persuasion."

* * *

For Jackie herself it was when she had had a rough day at work for whatever problem and he simply allowed her to snuggle into him on the couch for as long as she wanted.

She barely said a word when she entered the house and went to change out of her work clothes which was Robbie's first sign that something was the matter. She came back downstairs wearing black leggings and one of his t-shirts. She tucked her legs under her as she curled up against him, running her hand across her torso as she often did to prove that he really was right there next to her.

"They had never laid eyes on the boy before, what could they have possibly got out of it?!"

"I don't know love, I really don't."

She seemed to make her body tighter into its comforting ball as he shifted closer.

She turned her face to his and began to kiss him. He hated himself for not being able to resist her when she was upset like this but he had tried that once and she had got mad and ended up having angry seed instead of the reassuring type that made her momentarily forget what she had witnessed. There was still some anger during it as she wanted him to make everything absolutely perfect in the world and when he couldn't she became more agitated, and passionate.

* * *

Much to her own surprise Karen liked it when she argued with Matt, unless it was a personal fight. She loved it when they were each so passionately vocal about their opposing opinions on cases that they ended up laughing because they realised how loud their yelling had become.

On one particular afternoon Stuart entered the briefing room and turned to Robbie's desk, "Mummy and daddy fighting again? You can hear them back in the stairwell."

Jackie who was sat on Robbie's desk beside his legs was the one to answer, "According the bollocking he is getting he went for a drink with one of his informants yesterday but now that guy has become an official suspect in the case."

He shook his head before realising what was different about this scene: Jackie was there which she shouldn't be as she had moved department after getting with Robbie, "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I texted my lovely girl because I was all alone and for once had actually finished my work so she stayed with me."

"That's the only reason he married me; so that he could pick and choose when he sees me."

"That is so right, and of course the jeans," he muttered as he softly kissed her collarbone to which Stuart just turned away to listen more to the argument.

"Come off it, you knew what the danger was! Do you even know or care what kind of situation this puts me in? Regardless of what we do privately I have to put this in to a report for my superiors about how much of an arse my inspector is!"

"I honestly believe it was the right thing to do Kar."

"Don't you dare try to sweet talk me."

"I was not trying to sweet talk you but hey if you take it that way then I'm all for it."

She accidentally started to laugh and couldn't stop, resting her head on his chest while he wrapped his arms around her kissing the top of her red locks. "I am sorry. I thought I was helping."

"No wonder you're friends with Robbie, you both seem to adore consorting with the enemy."

"Thanks boss, we can still hear you!" They heard Robbie shouting from the other side of the wall, "Are you forgetting I could go to head office about a certain relationship?" Everyone knew Robbie would not carry out his threat but he enjoyed messing with Karen who was the most unsure of the joke.

* * *

Matt was the polar opposite, obviously, he was entranced by his girlfriend when she agreed to take road trips around Scotland at the weekends when they would either end up soaked through thanks to the unforgiving weather or he would get to see her in a pair of jeans or a skirt and a strappy top because the sun was out on those rare occasions.

They could forget they worked together and were equals instead of her always having the upper hand.

"Your carriage awaits."

"Ooo, my very own driver with benefits, I am officially the luckiest woman alive... excluding Jackie because she has Robbie and well he is... he's Robbie Ross."

"That hurts!"

Before getting in to the car she pulled his head to her own an kissed him, wiping off the lipstick she left on his mouth.

It was lovely just to go a few miles outside of Glasgow where greenery began to show through and the tower blocks faded to the distance.

The sunshine was blazing down and warming them inside which made a nice change from being pelted with either rain, sleet or snow - all of which had happened on previous excursions together.

The car was nothing near fancy but it was reliable and comfortable to sit in for the hours they did. She would always bring some sort of novel and put it in the holder on the door yet never read a single page of it; depending on what time they had set off at she would either sleep on a cushion she brought, stare out the window or make the most of his concentration and talk his secrets out of him.

He did the exact same to her when they swapped driving shifts which was how he realised she loved soppy romance books compared to the thrillers he read, and how her first time had been to Atomic by Blondie with a high school crush whom she now could not remember the name of. She got out of him the following day that he had been in quite a serious relationship and they started that side of it to Hello Goodbye by The Beatles and apparently it was goodbye shortly after which had left him devastated.

Once they had broken down in the middle of nowhere and had slept in the car yet it was one of his favourite days since they simply lay opposite one another and talked until he drifted off first.

* * *

Stuart loved Ewan most when his barriers were down and the hard-man exterior was gone.

On an evening when they were out on their own they were approached by a loud football fan, covered in tattoos, and hurling all sorts of insults at them stemming from the fact they had been holding hands when he first spotted them.

Stuart could see Ewan wanted to punch the guy but held himself back which he was ecstatic about because he knew five years ago the other man would be a bloody mess by that time. It wasn't the first time they had been on the receiving end of homophobic abuse but Ewan and never been drinking before it happened until this time. Stuart did believe that he wanted to critically hurt him but even in this state he was better than he used to be.

He could see it was a struggle as what the idiot had said was hugely hurtful and was scared in case he would start getting instead of defending himself. Ewan kept his strength though and ignored his feelings of anger until out of earshot of the perpetrator.

When they got home they were both secretly glad Ronan was on a school trip overnight because at that moment they only could bear to be with the other man. Ewan allowed himself to cry if only to have some release from their date night and although it broke his heart Stuart stayed with him and knew when he wanted to be held or not or when he wanted some sort of food or drink to replenish his resources.

* * *

Whenever Stuart showed pride in his husband was when Ewan felt the strongest. It proved that he had made something of himself and to have such a stable personal life now was what he took pride in above everything else. It was the opening of a new restaurant and club in his ever growing empire and they were talking to the wife of a newspaper reporter who was reviewing the night.

Stuart was the one to make first introductions. "This is Ewan McIntyre, my partner in life and owner of this fine establishment." He continued like that all night to anyone who would listen and Ewan was in heaven over it.

When it was finally closing time they shut themselves in the manager's office as Stuart praised and kissed him again. "You have done so brilliantly well tonight and it looks amazing."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Being here; having faith in me; your voice when you tell strangers who I am."

"That's nothing - all natural feelings where you are concerned." Ewan ran his hands over his husband's body and hair, revelling in the taste of his lips.

Once they had fooled around a little more Stuart turned serious, "Do you want to get home and relieve Robbie and Jackie of our charming daughter?"

"Ronan will probably want them to stay over," he whispered, not wanting to stop going down the road of doing things to Stuart yet.

"We have enough drink to make more than a good night of it if they agree." Ewan understood him implicitly - if the other couple had to stay over then at least they would be able to have some fun of their own if they plied their babysitters with drink.


End file.
